Acts - The Story of the Church

DATE: September 17, 2023

THEME: Joy and Jealousy

SCRIPTURE: Acts 13:13-52

Paul and Barnabas travel to Antioch in Pisidia and gives his first recorded sermon in the synagogue. He recounts the great history of Yahweh's blessings and promises given to the Jewish nation and how Jesus is not the fulfillment of His promises and establishes new ones. The next week, almost the entire town shows up, but the Jewish leaders are jealous and rally their allies together to run them out of town, but the Gentiles celebrate with great joy the proclamation of the gospel. The gospel brings joy when it's accepted, but brings jealousy when rejected.

DATE: September 10, 2023

THEME: Satan Conceals, Jesus Reveals

SCRIPTURE: Acts 13:4-12

Barnabas and Saul begin their apostolic journey across the sea and begin on the island of Cyprus. They institute a strategy of preaching in the synagogues for several reasons, even though their mission is to the Gentiles. Then they end up in Paphos (140 miles on the western coast of Cyprus and they are summoned to appear before the Proconsul (Governor) of Cyprus for him to hear the gospel. During their presentation to Sergius (the Proconsul), a Jewish False Prophet and Sorcerer named "Bar-Jesus" known as "Elymas", tried to lead him to not hear and receive the message of the gospel, to which Saul (*from now on known by his Roman name "Paul") prophecies blindness over him and instantly he becomes blind. God causes a physical blindness to accompany the spiritual blindness Elymas has chosen.

DATE: August 27, 2023

THEME: Equipping the Saints

SCRIPTURE: Acts 12:25-13:3

We return to Barnabas and Saul as they journey to Jerusalem to deliver the offering to the Jerusalem Church. We see the visit described in Galatians 2 from Saul's (Paul's) perspective. They return to Antioch and are worshiping and fasting together and the Spirit called Barnabas and Saul out to set into the ministry of the worldwide expansion of the gospel around the Roman empire. Saul has spent about 14 years in the Church learning and being equipped in how to do ministry and how to train and lead others to cultivate a kingdom culture in their local churches. He's now ready and being commissioned to the life and purpose God has given him.

DATE: August 13, 2023

THEME: Give God Glory

SCRIPTURE: Acts 12:19-25

Luke describes in great detail the occasion and cause of the death of Herod, the tyrant and great oppressor of God's people, the Church. He did not give God glory and, as we learn, God will not share His glory with anyone or anything and God struck him dead. We give God glory and we live God's story.

DATE: August 6, 2023

THEME: Pray With Expectation

SCRIPTURE: Acts 12:6-19

We left the Church in Jerusalem in the upper room praying fervently for Peter after Herod broke out against the Church, executed James, and imprisoned Peter anticipating a public spectacle for his public execution with the Church praying fervently for Peter. THEN…GOD ANSWERS! An angel shows up and supernaturally, miraculously, delivers Peter from the hands of Herod, prison, and guards. Then we get to see a comedic break in the narrative when Rhoda gets so excited she leaves Peter waiting at the gates and tries to convince the Church that Peter’s outside. This account teaches us that faithful prayer is praying with expectation that God will come through something will happen, something will change.

DATE: July 23, 2023

THEME: Fervent in Prayer

SCRIPTURE: Acts 12:1-5

When Herod broke out against the Church and killed James and imprisoned Peter, the Church responded in fervent prayer for Peter. When crises and suffering arise, we need to take the cues of our early brothers and sisters and be drawn in to pray fervently together for one another in the spiritual realm for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.

*Apologies on the bad audio quality*

DATE: July 16, 2023

THEME: Stay faithful and cling to Jesus

SCRIPTURE: Acts 11:19-30

The gospel goes to Antioch! Some disciples from Cyrene (including Simon, the man who carried the cross of Jesus) and the island of Cyprus, go down to Antioch to share the gospel and it is a wild success! The great city of Antioch is bustling with the new faith, so Barnabas goes down there from Jerusalem, and he ALSO has wide success. To handle the growth and discipleship of this new and flourishing church, Barnabas goes to Tarsus, gets Saul, and takes him back to Antioch where they do ministry together for several years.

DATE: July 9, 2023

THEME: Grasping Grace

SCRIPTURE: Acts 11:1-18

Word of the gospel of grace and the falling of the Holy Spirit upon the Gentiles came to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem and they took issue with Peter's sharing table fellowship with Gentiles because of a false understanding of the grace of Christ. Peter gives a defense of what he did by testifying of what God did and what they experienced. He didn't argue with them about theology, he let the word of the LORD and the miraculous expression of the Holy Spirit testify for him. We are encouraged also to wrap our minds around the grace of God without cause for legalism or licentiousness.

DATE: July 2, 2023

THEME: Walk Closely, Declare His Greatness

SCRIPTURE: Acts 10

The Holy Spirit gives a centurion, Cornelius, and Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, a vision to bring them together as the worlds of Jew and Gentile converge by the power of the Holy Spirit. This chapter in Acts shows us the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ to the rest of the world, which include all Non-Jewish men and women and children.

DATE: June 25, 2023

THEME: Heal the Hurt, Don't Deal the Hurt

SCRIPTURE: Acts 9:32-43

The accounts of the healing of Aeneas and the raising of Tabitha from the dead put the love of God in the midst of the Church on full display, so that when people saw the love and intentionality of ministering the disciples had for one another, they came to glorify the LORD, believe in Jesus, and joined the Church, the people of God. His heart for the Church is to bring healing and restoration, not to deal out hurt and injury to one another. To be a people who prove to be Jesus' disciples by expressing the love we have for one another.